Island



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. J. GESSWBIN. SAFE.

No. 60 0 ,845. Patented Mar; 8, 1898.

UTA/5555 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

G. J. GESSWBIN.

(No Model.)

SAFE.

No. 600,345. Patented Mar. 8,1898.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

GUSTAV J. GESSWEIN, OF ORANSTON, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE MOSLER SAFE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,345, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed July 6, 1897. Serial No. 643,515. (No model.)

T a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GUsTAv J. GEsswErN, of Cranston, county of Providence, State of -Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safes; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof.

The present invention relates to that class of safes known as screw-door safes, in which a circular door is mounted to revolve upon its axis and is carried into engagement .y with a circular door-jamb by the action of a screw as said door is revolved.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for rotating the door ofthe safe upon its axis, and also to provide improved means for supporting and moving said door longitudinally of its axis as said door is rotated; and to these ends the invention consists of the features and combinations hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings the improvements in their preferred forms are shown applied to a screwdoor safe of the form shown in Patent No. 575,306, granted to M. Mosler January 12, 1897; but it will be understood that the improvements are not limited to this form of safe, but may be used upon other forms of screw-door safes.

Referring to the drawings,Figure 1 is ahorizontal sectional view4 through the safe-door, and Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the mechanism for rotating the door upon its axis.

The door 2 is mounted upon the support or yoke 6, which is arranged to swing on the vertical pintles 8, (one only of which is shown,) as clearly described in the patent referred to. The support 6 is provided with a boss 9, having a cylindrical shaft 10 formed upon or secured to the door 2. The shaft 10 is provided with a spiral groove or screw-thread 11, which is engaged by a projection, preferably in the form of a roll 12 on the end of a stud 13, screwed into the boss 9. As the door is revolved the roll 12,traveling in the groove 1l,

causes the door to move longitudinally of its axis, the door being accurately guided and 5o supported without danger of cramping by the cylindrical bearing-surface of the shaft 10. In order that the door may revolve and also be moved longitudinally with ease and without undue wear and strain upon the parts, it is preferred to mount the shaft 10 upon two series of balls 14. The balls 14 are located at each end of the boss 9 and are held in recesses formed in annular rings 115 by means of rings 16, the rings 15 and 16 being formed of hardened steel. The shaft 10 is also provided with rings 17 of hardened steel at the portions of its periphery which are engaged by the balls 14E. While itis preferred to form the groove 11 in the shaft 10 and to secure the roll 12 to the bearing, it is obvious that this arrangement could be reversed, the groove being formed in the bearing and the roll beingsecured to the shaft without aecting the operation of the parts.

The door 2 may be rotated by any suitable means and is preferably rotated by the mechanism shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 3, which is as follows: A gear 18 is formed upon or secured to the door 2 and is engaged by apinion 19, mounted to rotate in bearings 20 and 21, formed upon or secured to a slide or carriage 22, mounted upon Ways 23, formed upon a support 24. The pinion 19 is rotated by means of a shaft 25, mounted in a bearing 26 on the support 24 and connected to the pinion 19 by means of a key. The shaft 25 is screwthreaded to engage screw-threads formed in an arm 27 on the carriage 22, the pitch of the screw being such that the carriage will be moved in unison with the longitudinal movement of the door 2, and the pinion 19 will thus travel with the door and beconstantly in engagement with the gear 18.

When the door 2 is moved out of engagement with the door-jamb 3, as shown in Fig. 2 of the patent referred to, said door must be swung upon the pintles 8 in order to gain access to the contents of the safe, and the pinion 19 must be moved out of the way so that this movement of the door may take place.

' a pivot or stud 28, mounted in brackets 29,

secured to the casing or shell of the safe. In order that the pinion may be disengaged from the gear 18 before the support 24 is swung upon its pivot, the stud 28 is provided with eccentric trunnions 30 and is provided with a handle 31. By turning the handle 31 the support 25 is moved to disengage the pinion 19, and said support may then be swung on the pivot 28 out of the path of the door. The support 24 is held in position by means of a vspring-pin 32, which engages a recess in said" support and may be withdrawn when said support is to be swung back. In order that the pinion 19 may be in the same relation to the gear 18 when the support 24 is swung into position again and may engage said gear without any adjustment of said pinion, means are provided for locking said pinion in position, which means is preferably constructed to operate automatically when the pinion is disengaged. The preferred form of such means consists of a locking-bolt 33, mounted in the support 24 and arranged to engage a recess 34 in the shaft 25. The bolt 33 carries a pin 35 at one end, which passes through an inclined slot 36, formed in the end of a bar 37. The bar 37 is forced in a direction to move the bolt 33 into the recess 34 by a spring 38 and is held in position to hold the bolt out of the recess by engagement with the casing 1, as shown in Fig. 2. When the door 2 is in its inner position, the recess 34 registers with the bolt 33,

and when the support 24 is moved to disengage the pinion 19 the spring 38 forces the bar 37 outward, and the bolt 33 is thus automatically thrust into the recess 34 and locks the shaft 25, and thus the pinion 19, in position. When the support 24 is again swung into position, the end of bar 37 engages the casing 1, and said bar is operated to withdraw the bolt 33 and release the shaft 25 and piuion 19. The shaft 25 is operated by means of a crank-arm 39, engaging the squared end of said shaft.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a safe, the combination with a shell having a circular opening, a circular door fitting said opening and provided with a shaft having a straight cylindrical bearing-surface, a support having a straight bore the diameter of said bearing-surface through which said shaft `may slide longitudinally, a spiral groove in one of said parts and a projection upon the other part engaging said groove, substantially as described.

2. In a safe, the combination with a shell having a circular` opening, a circular door fitting said opening and provided with a shaft having cylindrical bearing-surfaces, a swinging support for said shaft, means for moving said door longitudinally as it is rotated, and two series of balls mounted in said support and engaging the bearing-surfaces of said shaft, substantially as described.

3. In a safe, the combination with a shell having a circular opening, a circular door fitting said opening, and provided with a shaft having cylindrical bearing-surfaces, a support for said shaft having two series of balls therein for engaging said cylindrical bearingsurfaces, a spiral groove in said shaft, and a projection engaging said groove, substantially as described.

4. In a safe, the combination with a shell provided with a circular opening, of a rotary door fitting said opening, a support for said door, means for moving said door longitudinally in said support, a gear on said door, a

pinion engaging said gear, and means for moving said pinion with said door, substantially as described.

5. In a safe, the combination with a shell provided with a circular opening, of a rotary door fitting said opening, a support for said door, a screw for moving said door longitudinally, a gear on said door, a pinion on the casing engaging said gear, and means for moving said pinion'with said door, substantially as described.

6. In a safe, the combination with a shell provided with a circular opening, of a rotary door fitting said opening, a support for said door, a screw for moving said door longitudinally, a gear on said door, a pinion mounted on the casing, and a screw for moving said pinion with the door, substantially as described.

7. In a safe, the combination with a shell provided with a circular opening, of a rotary door fitting said opening, a support for said door, a screw for moving said door longitudinally, a gear on said door, a pinion engaging said gear and mounted upon a movable sup- IOO port, and means for locking said pinion, s'ubnally, a gear on said door, a pinion engaging said gear, a movable support for said pinion, means for automatically locking said pinion, when the support is moved to disengage said pinion, substantially as described.

9. In a safe, the combination with the door provided with a gear, a support, a carriage mounted thereon, a pinion journaled in said carriage and l"engaging said gear, a screwthreaded shaft engaging said carriage and to which said gear is connected, substantially as described.

10.` In a safe, the combination with the door provided with a gear, of a movable support, a carriage mounted thereon, a screw-threaded shaft engaging said carriage, a pinion connected with said shaft and mounted on said carriage, and means for locking said shaft IIO the support is swung into position to engage said pinion and gear, substantially as de- 1o scribed.

GUSTAV J. GESSVVEIN.

Witnesses:

IRA L. FISH, R. A. BATES. 

